Questions for Notes

I want to get more value from my Zettelkasten. When you see the notes as being part of a tree, then there are three directions to go: Up, Down, and Horizontal. Each direction has way to get more value by finding the questions and answers related to the current card.

Down is the easiest way to go. When you go down this means that you ask a question about the current card. Then you write new cards for each of the answers to that question.

Let’s say you claim that “Answering questions about a card is easier than finding the question it answers”. Then you can ask:

• Why: “Why is that easier?”
• How: “How is that easier?” or “How do I answer or ask questions about a card?”
• When not: “When is it easier to find the question instead?”.
• What else: “What else makes it easier?”
• “So what?” (why do we care about answering the question?)
• “If I believe this, what is the smallest faithful action I could take?”

There could be many more questions like this.

Up is a harder, because we really have to think about which question we are actually answering. And if we know the question, perhaps there are other answers. When we go up the tree of cards we also find note that could be placed under multiple questions based on context.

Let’s look at the claim “atomic bombs are a deterrent for whom we vote”.

• Influences on voting -> What influences who we vote for?
• Atomic bombs -> What is the influence of atomic bombs on nations?

What the question is, depends on what interests you. You could see what the question asks about. One question asks about influences in voting, the other about how media influences people.

When you have the parent question then you can ask: what else?

When you move horizontally through the tree, you ask more questions about the same topic, or try to answer more questions. Take one card as the focus and find more of the same type: questions or answers.

You don’t need to add the questions as actual cards. When you number cards as a tree it becomes clear from the parent and the group of answers what the question is. This is the idea of the implied question.